Standard mobile communication device distraction prevention and safety protocols

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for providing standardized mobile device distraction prevention and safety protocols are disclosed. In particular, an embodiment of a method for activating a distraction prevention or safety protocol behavior in a mobile device when the mobile device satisfies a specific condition is disclosed. The method includes discovering one or more protocol activators configured to transmit discovery information associated with a specific condition. The method further includes activating distraction prevention safety protocol behavior in the mobile device based at least in part on the discovery information. In an implementation, the specific condition may be a specified environment itself and or include an event when the mobile device enters a specified environment or a specified sequence of numbers is dialed from the mobile device.

PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of and claims priority toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/075,327 filed on Mar. 21, 2016,which is a continuation application of and claims priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/883,583 filed on Sep. 16, 2010, nowissued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,294,603, which is a continuation-in-partapplication of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/585,503 filed on Sep. 16, 2009, now abandoned, all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/883,583 filed on Sep. 16, 2010, nowissued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,294,603, also claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/343,490 filed Apr. 29, 2010,U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/284,635 filed Dec. 21,2009, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/283,286 filed Dec.2, 2009, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/277,664 filedSep. 28, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/277,156 filed Sep. 21, 2009, all of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to standard cellular/mobiledevice distraction prevention and safety protocols. In particular, thepresent invention relates to the development and standardization ofmobile device protocols and protocol sensors to control functionalitiesof a mobile communication device (also known and referred to as mobiledevice, cell phone, smart phone, mobile phone, skype phone, satellitephone, laptop, net book, net pad, etc.) when the mobile device satisfiesa specific condition, such as, entering a specified environment orlocation or area, etc. containing a protocol enabled sensor.

BACKGROUND

Over the past few decades, the cellular/wireless industry has advancedby leaps and bounds. Throughout the world, mobile devices have become aubiquitous part of everyday life. The enormous proliferation of themobile device is nothing short of incredible. But, with it has surfaceda host of major problems much to the detriment of society. Everytechnical advancement and development has certain associated challengesand the cell phone is no exception. Many inherent life threateningproblems are gaining light speed momentum. Such problems includeincreased accidents from driver distraction due to mobile devices,increased disruption and cheating in the classroom, increasedcontraband, gang activity, and death threats from inside the prisonsystem etc. These problems come with a magnificent cost. For example,the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that distracted drivingalone costs developed countries between one and three percent of GDP.

A few mobile application attempts have been made to solve the problembehind the wheel and some cell frequency jamming attempts have beentried in various prison systems. Such solutions, however, faceimpenetrable obstacles such as: current law in various countries,uninstalling the application, turning off the Bluetooth, Bluetoothpairing requirements, GPS latency and signal lapses, large number ofvaried mobile platforms, continuous updating, closed platforms, batterydrain, and the inability to affect Skype™ and satellite phones whichprisoners easily obtain.

The most significant obstacle facing all solution providers is the lackof universal standards within the mobile device industry. Currently, themobile device manufacturers have no universal platform for developingstandard safety technologies. Since there are no standards, even asimple safety feature cannot be universally applied across all mobiledevices. And since safety is a global concern, a solution which can onlybe applied to select mobile devices is not preferred. In order to combatthese societal problems, there exists a well felt need to design andimplement universal distraction prevention and safety technologies forall mobile communication devices.

Because there are hundreds of different cell phone makes and modelscombined with open, closed & partially closed configurations, developinga single simple comprehensive solution for all mobile phonearchitectures is considered impossible. Notwithstanding suchimpediments, the task to effectively implement safety standards andmethods to prevent cellular distractions to benefit society must becarried out in a timely and undisruptive manner.

In addition, other current obstacles include but are not limited toquick detection and connectionless non-pairing communication withBluetooth devices, deterioration of cellular battery life, quick andeasy application disablement.

Moreover, existing systems and methods only provide a partial solutionfor a single environment. For example, jamming in prisons which isillegal in many countries prohibits emergency calling and is thereforeundesirable for schools and hospitals and such. Art to provide solutionsfor distracted driving requires some form of pairing which makes anautomatic universal application impossible. The pairing dilemma inessence makes each mobile device car specific. For example, even if sucha system is installed on a teen's car, should the teen drive theparent's car or sibling's car or friend's car, the mobile applicationwill not work unless an entirely new pairing is involved for thatspecific car. It also creates the problem requiring a new softwareupload for each system change or system upgrade to correspond to thechanged system. Such a system leaves parents and employers frustrated asthe system no longer works properly. Also, parents and employers won'thave any available working system if they happen to purchase a phonewith a closed architecture thereby preventing system functionalityinhibition.

There is, therefore, a need for a simple, cost effective improvement tomobile communication technologies to adopt and implement a standardizedset of safety protocols such that new safety enhancement systems andmethods to prevent mobile distractions can easily be engineered andadopted for all new and existing mobile phones. There is also a need fora simple, cost effective improvement to Bluetooth technology devices toapply a universal set of address codes to work in tandem with the mobiledevice embedded distraction prevention protocols.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is, therefore an object of the present invention, to provide a set ofstandard mobile communication device distraction prevention and safetyprotocols to be embedded in the mobile device firmware (system memory orsystem image) and to provide various applicable sensors to be adopteduniversally throughout the mobile communications industry for providingsafety enhancement systems and methods to prevent mobile devicedistractions.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new anduseful set of standard Bluetooth address codes to work in conjunctionwith protocol enabled mobile devices and facilitate communication withthe proposed mobile distraction prevention protocols.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a safetyenforcement system that produces a signal visible outside a vehiclewhenever the driver is operating the vehicle in an unsafe or unlawfulmanner.

It is also an object of the present invention, to provide a set ofmobile device safety protocols to be embedded in the mobile devicefirmware for the purpose of simple uniform adoption of future safetyenhancements.

Methods and systems for providing standard mobile communication devicesafety and distraction prevention protocols are disclosed. In anembodiment, a method for activating a distraction prevention safetyprotocol behavior in a mobile device when the mobile device satisfies aspecific condition is disclosed. The method includes discovering atleast one protocol activators configured to transmit discoveryinformation associated with the specific condition. The method furtherincludes activating safety protocol behavior in the mobile device basedat least in part on the discovery information. In an implementation, thespecific condition corresponds to at least one of two events being whenthe mobile device enters a specified environment and when the mobiledevice enters or a specified sequence of numbers is dialed from themobile device.

A method of controlling functionality of a mobile device within aspecified environment is disclosed. In an implementation, the methodincludes broadcasting a trigger signal within the specified environmentand determining discovery information associated with the trigger signaland the specified environment. The method further includes implementinga set of protocol instructional behaviors in the mobile device based atleast in part on the discovery information and the specifiedenvironment. Such an implementation of the set of protocol instructionalbehavior results in a restricted functionality of the mobile device.

A system for implementing safety protocols in a mobile device isdisclosed. According to an embodiment, the system includes a callauthorization module configured to execute a protocol behavior in themobile device based at least in part on discovery information. Thediscovery information is transmitted by one or more sensors in thespecified environment and corresponds to a specified environment inwhich the mobile device operates.

A method for controlling behavior of a mobile device inside atransportation vehicle is disclosed. According to an implementation, themethod includes activating a sensor configured to broadcast a triggersignal within a pre-determined limited range inside the vehicle. Themethod further includes implementing a protocol behavior in the mobiledevice based at least in part on the trigger signal. The activation ofthe sensor is based on a state or a position of one or more vehicularcomponents and/or a tilt switch mechanism configured to determinevehicular movement.

A vehicle occupant safety system is disclosed. In an implementation, thesystem includes a smart phone comprising a first computing system forsignal processing and a trigger signal emitter for use by a passenger ofa vehicle. The trigger signal emitter is in communication with a secondcomputing system when the passenger is inside the vehicle. The secondcomputing system is configured to control operational functions of thevehicle. The system further includes a processing logic associated withthe second computing system for determining when the vehicle concludedoperation and for detecting a signal from the trigger signal emitter.The detection occurs in such a manner that the second computing systemis activated to send a distress signal when the passenger has remainedinside the vehicle for a predetermined time subsequent to concludedoperation of the vehicle.

A system for enforcement of safety protocols is disclosed. In animplementation, the system includes a mobile device configured tocommunicate with at least one vehicular component inside atransportation vehicle to determine an unsafe driving based on safetyprotocols configured in the mobile device. The system further includesan exterior vehicle warning signal indicator (WSI) configured to issuevisible warning signals based on the determination by the mobile device.

A system for implementing mobile safety protocols is disclosed. In anembodiment, the system includes a self-powered Bluetooth sensor assemblyconfigured to transmit discovery information without an external powersupply. The system further includes a mobile device configured todetermine and implement a safety protocol behavior based on thediscovery information. The discovery information corresponds to a nameof the self-powered Bluetooth sensor and a class of a specifiedenvironment in which the self-powered Bluetooth sensor operates.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this inventionmay be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings,attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings areillustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specificconstruction illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of thepresent invention, a more particular description of the invention willbe rendered with reference to specific embodiments thereof, which areillustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that thesedrawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention willbe described and explained with additional specificity and detail withthe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for providing standard mobile device safetyprotocols according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a mobile device in accordance withan embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates Bluetooth address codes implemented in Bluetoothsensors in an embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates a self-powered Bluetooth sensor assembly according toan implementation;

FIG. 5 illustrates a system for enforcement of safety protocolsaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates location of vehicular components, engine controlunit, and mobile device in a vehicle according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7 illustrates a system for ensuring safety of child or vehicleoccupant in an embodiment;

FIG. 8 illustrates a method for activating a safety protocol behavior inmobile device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 9 illustrates a method of controlling functionality of mobiledevice within specified environment according to an embodiment;

FIG. 10 illustrates a method for controlling behavior of mobile deviceinside transportation vehicle according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

As described earlier, numerous benefits that a mobile device offerscoexist with certain life threatening problems like accidents due todriver distraction, security breach in prisons, cheating in classrooms,etc. Conventional solutions have proved to be unsatisfactory due to lackof universality, simplicity, and cost effectiveness. The biggestchallenge faced in the mobile industry today is the lack of a standardplatform for development of safety protocols that can be implementedacross mobile devices from different manufacturers.

To this end, standard safety methods and systems are proposed foractivating a safety protocol behavior in a mobile device when the mobiledevice satisfies a specific condition. In an embodiment, the methodincludes discovering at least one protocol activators configured totransmit discovery information associated with the specific condition.The method further includes activating safety protocol behavior in themobile device based at least in part on the discovery information. In animplementation, the specific condition corresponds to at least one oftwo events being when the mobile device enters a specified environmentand when the mobile device enters or a specified sequence of numbers isdialed from the mobile device.

The disclosed safety protocol behavior permits emergency calls to one ormore pre-determined or programmable numbers. For example, in any case ofspecified environment, the safety protocols allow calls to be made tospecial numbers during emergency, such as, “911” in United States, “112”in India, etc. Such special numbers can be preprogrammed and included asexceptions to any protocol instructional behavior.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for providing standard cellular safetyprotocols according to an embodiment. As shown, the system 100 includesa mobile device 102 that implements the safety protocol(s) when themobile device satisfies specific condition(s). Throughout the text, theterm “mobile device” can refer to cellular phone, smart phone, cellphone, wireless phone or other similar devices offering capabilities ofcalling, text messaging, etc. using wireless medium via. a communicationnetwork. In addition, for purposes of the ongoing description, themobile device 102 corresponds to a communication device with inbuiltcapabilities for sending and receiving signals in addition to thedevice's talk/text frequency band. Capable methods include but are notlimited to NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi, Satellite, Skype, RFID, ZigBee,EdOcean, TransferJet, Ultra wideband (UWB), Wireless USB, DSRC, IrDAa,and Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) etc. For example, the mobiledevice 102 can be Bluetooth enabled capable of Bluetooth transmissionand reception.

In an embodiment, the specific conditions include event such as, themobile device 102 entering a specified environment or dialing a specificsequence of numbers from the mobile device, etc.

The specific conditions may also correspond to events such as, but notlimited to, an unlawful or unsafe operation of vehicle, an accident, afight, deployment of an airbag in a vehicle, or other conditions thatneed immediate or timely attention. The proposed standard mobile devicesafety protocols can be so implemented that any set of specificconditions can be included by the standard approving body. Although,only a few cases of specific conditions have been disclosed, it may beappreciated that the proposed systems and methods for implementingmobile device safety protocols allow for future modification and/orupdate of the set of specific conditions to accommodate future needs ofthe society and law enforcement agencies.

The specified environment includes a transportation vehicle, a classroom, a correctional facility, an airport, an airplane, a court room, ahospital, a church, a theatre, a fly zone, a danger zone, an auditorium,a room in a house or any other environment for which disablingoperational functions on a mobile device may be desired.

In an exemplary scenario for a safety protocol implementation, a user104 carries the mobile device 102 and enters a specified environmentsuch as a prison, or a hospital (thereby satisfies the specificcondition). The system 100 includes one or more protocol activators (or“sensors”) 106 (e.g. 106 a, 106 b, and 106 c) installed at variouslocations in the specified environment. In an embodiment, the one ormore protocol activators 106 correspond to one or more sensors capableof transmitting and receiving signals pertaining to technologies suchas, but not limited to, a Bluetooth sensor, Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) tag reader, a EdOcean sensor, a TransferJetsensor, an Ultra wideband sensor, a UWB, a Wireless USB, a DSRC sensor,an IrDAa sensor, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) sensor, a Zigbee sensor, aNear Field Communication (NFC) sensor, and a Wireless Personal AreaNetwork (WPAN) sensor, etc. It may be appreciated that the mobile device102 is pre-equipped with such safety and distraction preventionprotocols and in various embodiments, supports a communication betweenthe mobile device 102 and the protocol activators 106 within apre-determined communication range. In addition, the protocol activators106 are characterized by a pre-determined device name or class oraddress, etc. associated with the specified environment.

The mobile device 102 includes a Call Authorization Module (CAM) (alsoreferred to as software instructions, mobile application, etc.) 108 thatcoordinates the activation of the safety protocols in the mobile device102. In the exemplary implementation, the protocol activators 106transmit discovery information (sending a trigger signal) associatedwith the specified environment. The discovery information may includedevice name or class, or address associated with the protocol activators106. The class of the protocol activators 106 provides information aboutthe specified environment. The call authorization module 108 discovers(or receives the discovery information or trigger signal from) theprotocol activators 106 as soon as the mobile device 102 enters thecommunication range of the protocol activators 106. In an alternativeembodiment, the call authorization module 108 may instruct the mobiledevice 102 to transmit one or more request signals to obtain additionaldiscovery information in cases where the protocol activators 106correspond to passive sensors.

The CAM 108 determines distraction prevention safety protocolbehavior(s) corresponding to the discovery information and activates thesafety protocol behavior in the mobile device 102. Safety protocolbehavior can correspond to enabling or disabling partially or wholly oneor more functionalities associated with the mobile device 102. Suchfunctionalities may include existing calling function, text function, aswitching “on” or “off” function, a silent operation mode, etc. Safetyprotocol behavior may also correspond to a special mode of operation ofthe mobile device 102 in which the mobile device 102 is configured toautomatically perform or not perform certain functions. Special mode ofoperation can correspond to a code of predetermined conduct associatedwith the specified environment or other special actions that the mobiledevice 102 performs automatically upon the onset of specific condition.

It may be desirable to implement safety protocol(s) in a manner thatdifferentiates each user based on certain identification process ortagging. For instance, the user may wear an RFID tag 110 which enablesthe system 100 to identify the user as belonging to a particular workinggroup. It may be appreciated that the user 104 of the mobile device 102can correspond to different groups of people such as but not limited toan intruder, a guard, a driver, a thief or the like. In one of theimplementations, the CAM 108 gathers additional information associatedwith specified working group in the specified environment. The workinggroup may correspond to a designated group of people who will carrymobile devices that can be treated as exceptions to the safety protocolbehavior. The system 100 allows the creation of such working groups whowill have special privileges even when they carry mobile devices intothe specified environment. For instance, a guard or official in aspecified environment, such as, a prison may need to use a mobile device102 under emergencies (in cases of prison riot, etc.). In such cases,the CAM 108, upon identification of the working group, may implement asafety protocol behavior corresponding to the class of the specifiedenvironment and the identified working group.

In an implementation, the protocol instructional behaviors implementedin the mobile device 102 permits emergency calls to one or morepre-determined or programmable numbers. For example, in any case ofspecified environment, the safety protocols allow calls to be made tospecial numbers during emergency, such as, “911” in United States, “112”in India, etc. Such special numbers can be preprogrammed and included asexceptions to any protocol instructional behavior. In another example,the safety protocols can allow calls to a special number (parent'snumber) if the mobile device is carried by a child. The programming ofsuch special numbers may be a feature that is provided by the mobilephone manufacturer or the service provider. The safety protocols can beso configured to accommodate such features.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a mobile device 102 in accordancewith an embodiment. The mobile device 102 can correspond to anycommunication device, cellular phone, smart phone, personal digitalassistant (PDA), mobile paging device, mobile gaming device, netbook,netpad, laptop, or computer that offers one or more capabilities tomake/receive calls, send/receive text messages or electronic mails, playvideo games, etc. In a very basic configuration, mobile device 102typically includes at least one processing unit 202 and system memory204. Depending on the exact configuration and type of mobile device,system memory 204 may be volatile (such as RAM), non-volatile (such asROM, flash memory, etc.), or some combination of the two. System memory204 typically includes an operating system or system image; one or moreprogram modules 206, and may include program data 208. The processor 202accesses the memory 204 to execute instructions or applications storedas program modules 206 to perform one or more predetermined functions.The memory 204 stores associated data in program data 208.

The program module(s) 206 includes the call authorization module 108,query module 210, safety protocol module 212, communication module 214,and other modules 216. The program data 208 includes discoveryinformation 218, look up tables (LUT) 220, Bluetooth address codes 222,other data (flag values, variables) 224. In addition, the mobile device102 also includes an inbuilt antenna 226. It may be appreciated that themobile device 102 may have various features available in all modern daymobile phones or smart phones. Only selected few of the features,functionalities, and modules have been disclosed that find relevancewith respect to the ongoing description. For example, mobile device 102may also have input device(s) such as keypad, stylus, or a pen, voiceinput device, touch input device, etc. Output device(s) such as adisplay 228, speakers, etc. may also be included. The display 228 may bea liquid crystal display, or any other type of display commonly used inmobile devices. The display 228 may be touch-sensitive, and would thenact as an input device. The mobile device 102 also includes RFID reader230 configured to detect and read RFID tags on employee badges worn by auser of the mobile device 102. Such devices are well known in the artand need not be discussed at length here.

The communication module 214 allows the mobile device 102 to communicatewith other devices over a network. The communication module 214 is anexample of a communication media. Communication media may typically beembodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, programmodules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and include any information deliverymedia. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one ormore of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encodeinformation in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media includes wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,Bluetooth, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, Skype, Satellite and other wireless media. Theterm computer readable media as used herein includes both storage mediaand communication media.

One or more application programs may be loaded into memory 204 and runon the operating system stored in other modules 216. Examples ofapplication programs include phone dialer programs, email programs,scheduling programs, PIM (personal information management) programs,word processing programs, spreadsheet programs, Internet browserprograms, and so forth. The mobile device 102 also includes non-volatilestorage (not shown) within the memory 204. The non-volatile storage maybe used to store persistent information which should not be lost if themobile device 102 is powered down/off. The applications may use andstore information in the storage, such as e-mail or other messages usedby an e-mail application, contact information used by a PIM, appointmentinformation used by a scheduling program, documents used by a wordprocessing program, and the like. The mobile device 102 includes a powersupply (not shown), which may be implemented as one or more batteries.The power supply might further include an external power source, such asan AC adapter or a powered docking cradle that supplements or rechargesthe batteries.

The mobile device 102 may also include external notification mechanismssuch as an LED and an audio interface. Such devices may be directlycoupled to the power supply so that when activated, they remain on for aduration dictated by the notification mechanism even though theprocessor 202 and other components might shut down to conserve batterypower. The LED may be programmed to remain on indefinitely until theuser takes action to indicate the powered-on status of the device. Theaudio interface can be used to provide audible signals to and receiveaudible signals from the user. For example, the audio interface may becoupled to a speaker for providing audible output and to a microphonefor receiving audible input, such as to facilitate a telephoneconversation.

The communication module 214 performs the function of transmitting andreceiving radio frequency communications. The communication module 214facilitates wireless connectivity between the mobile device 102 and theoutside world, via. a communications carrier or service provider.Transmissions to and from the communications module 214 can be conductedunder control of the operating system in other module 216. In otherwords, communications received by the communication module 214 may bedisseminated to application programs via the operating system, and viceversa.

In operation, the call authorization module (CAM) 108 manages theimplementation of safety protocol behavior when the mobile device 102satisfies specific condition. For instance, whenever the mobile device102 enters a specified environment, such as a prison, the callauthorization module 108 instructs the communication module 214 todiscover one or more sensors (or protocol activators) 106 deployed atvarious locations in the specified environment. The communication module214 provides the mobile device 102 with communication capabilities withthe one or more sensors 106 via. Bluetooth transmission or RFID, WiFi,Zigbee, and Near Field transmissions depending on the type of sensorsdeployed. It may be noted that each of the one or more sensors 106 canbe characterized by a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID), such asMedia Access Control addresses in case of Bluetooth sensors.Alternatively, the one or more sensors 106 can be standardized toimplement the safety protocols by assigning a specific code for aspecified device name, device class, and device type.

As described earlier, the one or more sensors 106 are configured totransmit trigger signals in the specified environment. The communicationmodule 214 receives such trigger signals and the discovery informationtransmitted by the one or more sensors 106. In an alternativeembodiment, the query module 210 queries the one or more sensors 106 fordiscovery information. Such a querying comes handy in case of passivesensors 106. The discovery information corresponds to device name of thesensors and class information associated with the specified environment.The one or more sensors 106 broadcast the discovery information in theform of a set of alphanumeric characters. Each such set would correspondto a specified environment and a protocol behavior. Another case wheresuch a query would be possible is when there are different workinggroups having different desirable behaviors associated with their mobiledevices. In such cases, the query module 210 instructs RFID reader 230to detect and read RFID tags on the employee badges of the people todetermine working group. The discovery information is saved in discoveryinformation 218 of program data 208.

Upon receipt of the discovery information, the call authorization module108 is configured to determine a protocol behavior in the mobile device102 based on the discovery information. In an embodiment, the discoveryinformation may also include working group information in addition tothe class of the specified environment. In operation, the CAM 108instructs the safety protocol module 212 to determine a protocolbehavior corresponding to the received discovery information.

Standard Mobile Communication Device Safety Protocols

Table 1 illustrates an exemplary representation of a set of standardmobile device safety and distraction prevention protocols. The workinggroup may be standardized and included in the firmware of all mobiledevices 102 from different manufacturers. The first column correspondsto a code, the second column corresponds to a working group, the thirdcolumn refers to the contents corresponding to a given code, and forthcolumn refers to the protocol behavior for the mobile device 102.Consider an example of a typical MAC address: UUID-11:A2:23:FE:40

As shown in the table, “11:A2” represents the working group, anddepending upon the contents, corresponding protocol behavior can beselected.

TABLE 1 Working Code group Contents Meanings 2 11:A2 11111111 Tells thephone that it is located in a defined area of driver's seat. Functionswill be inhibited 3 22222222 Tells the phone the vehicle's transmissionis not in park. Functions will be inhibited. 4 33333333 Rings the phonea child is in danger. Sensor is attached to child. If a parents forgetsand leaves a child in the vehicle, phone rings 5 44444444 Tells thephone it is inside of a prison. Functions inhibited. 6 55555555 Tellsthe phone of defined school zone area. Functions inhibited 7 66666666Tells the phone it is in a classroom. Functions inhibited 8 77777777Tells the phone it is in a Public Transit Vehicle driver's seat area.Functions inhibited. 9 88888888 Tells the phone it is in corporatevehicle driver's seat area. Functions inhibited 10 99999999 Tells thephone it is in a church or auditorium. Service disallowed duringspecified mass or prayer service time. 11 00000000 Tells the phone it isin a court house. Service disallowed 12 AAAAAAAA Tells the phone it isin a movie theatre. Service disallowed during specified movie times. 13BBBBBBBB Tells the phone bedtime/Parent wants off. Functions inhibited.14 CCCCCCCC Airbag deployment. Tells phone to dial emergency number. 15DDDDDDDD Reserved for future

It is desired for the proposed protocols to be applied globally acrossall mobile devices, and for unregistered and incompatible phones to beremoved from the system by making them inoperable or non-functional inthe network. Accordingly, it is also desirable that all mobile devicemanufacturers implement software based on the suggested protocols. Thestate or law enforcement agencies could select which protocols toactivate for all mobile devices entering their specific state. Forexample, if a device is activated in the state of California and the CAM108 detects code “11111111”, then the CAM 108 automatically searches forcode “22222222”. If both codes are discovered by the CAM 108, then theTEXTING and EMAILING functions of the mobile device can be inhibited inaccordance with the safety protocols specified in Table 1.

It is also desirable that the specified environments where safetyprotocols need to be activated have one or more sensors or protocolactivators 106 installed at prominent locations. Each such sensor alsoneeds to be standardized as described earlier to be compatible with thesafety protocols implemented in the mobile device 102. For instance,auto manufacturers, schools, court houses, prisons, public transitsystems, hospitals, etc. can have one or more protocol activators 106configured to transmit signals according to their suggested protocol anddesired behavior in the mobile devices. Specified environments such aschurches and theatres can have one or more sensors 106 configured totransmit according to time clocks for scheduled services and moviesrespectively. Parents could have a child's room sensor configuredaccording to a time clock for scheduled bedtime which may be differenton a night preceding a school day and a preceding a non-school night.

A typical scenario can be inhibited functions of the mobile device 102in a prison or a class room where it may be desirable to disallow mobiledevice activity. Bluetooth sensors or other transmitters may bestrategically placed within the environment preventing inmates andstudents from using their mobile devices. RFID tag embedded in employeebadges for guards and teachers can permit usage of their phones in therespective specified environment.

In another embodiment, the system 100 can be used to ensure the safetyof a passenger or a vehicle occupant other than the driver in atransportation vehicle. There may be cases when the vehicle occupant isa child or a physically handicapped or incapacitated person who mightneed attention and care all the time. In a case where the driver or theparent forgets a sleeping child in the vehicle and goes beyond anallowed distance from the vehicle, the safety protocols enable thesystem to notify the parent or the driver that the child is still insidethe vehicle. As shown in table 1, when the CAM 108 interprets thecontents as “33333333” then the parent of the child is notified byringing the mobile device 102 carried by the parent. The cell phonerings and displays “Child left in Car” and prevents accidents to thesleeping child. A sensor (e.g. Bluetooth emitter) is attached to childthat is in communication with the system.

Bluetooth Address Codes

Since, all the specified environments included in the protocoldefinition will have one or more protocol activators or sensors, thesystem and method of controlling functionality of a mobile device 102may require a standardization of a specific set of sensors with regardto their identification. Standardization could involve providing a newand useful set of standard address codes. In the example case ofBluetooth devices being deployed as sensors in the specifiedenvironment, the MAC addresses of the Bluetooth devices serves asUniversal Unique Identification Code (UUID). An exemplary address codesystem is illustrated in FIG. 3. As shown, the address code 300 contains6 bytes (a typical MAC address) with the 1^(st) byte being the LeastSignificant Byte and the 6^(th) byte being the Most Significant Byte.Bytes 1 to 4 represent issued random binary values to avoid collisionswith other Bluetooth devices. Bytes 1-4 are not used by safetyprotocols. The 5^(th) byte represents type of device (or the class ofthe specified environment) as per the definitions in the safetyprotocols. For example, bits of the 5^(th) byte can correspond to thefollowing device types or specified environments as shown below in Table2:

TABLE 2 5^(th) Byte Protocol Device Type [b₈ b₇ b₆ b₅ b₄b₃ b₂b₁] orSpecified Environment 00000001 Car 00000011 Classroom 00000101 CourtRoom 00001000 Church 00001011 Reserved 00000010 Teen Car 00000100 Prison00000111 Hospital ICU 00001001 Theatre 00001111 Parent

The 8 bits of the most significant byte (or the 6th byte) of the addresscode 300 can be configured to define modes of transmission and scope ofthe identifier. For instance, the least significant bit (LSB) b₁ of the6th byte may represent “unicast” transmission if the bit valuecorresponds to binary 1 and “multicast” transmission if the bit valuecorresponds to binary 0 as shown in the bit value block 302. Similarly,second bit b₂ of the 6^(th) byte may represent a “global uniqueidentifier (OUI enforced)” if the bit value corresponds to binary 0 and“locally administered” identifier if the bit value corresponds to binary1 as shown in the bit value block 304. Bits b₃ to b₈ represent cellulardistraction prevention ID (binary 0 or 1).

In an alternative embodiment, the six-byte long address code (or MACaddress) can include a 3-byte long Network Interface Controller (NIC)specific part and a 3-byte long Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI)part.

In yet another embodiment, there may be a case where an active Bluetoothsensor broadcasts a MAC address and or device name as the trigger signalwithin the defined parameters of a specified environment. In such casethe protocol enabled mobile device automatically responds to suchtrigger signal based on the device name only thus carrying out thespecified protocol instruction. Proper mobile device protocolinstruction is carried out with no pairing required.

In yet another embodiment, there may be a case where the one or moresensors 106 in the range have no identifiable MAC address. In such acase, the query module 210 can issue additional requests to obtaindevice name and or Bluetooth class. The one or more sensors 106 or otherdevices in the range respond with their corresponding information.

The call authorization module 108 subsequently recognizes the discoveryinformation thus received and implements the safety correspondingprotocol behavior. An alternative address code, in such a case, caninclude 6 bytes as shown in FIG. 3. In this alternative address code,bytes 1 to 4 correspond to issued random binary values to avoidcollisions with other devices. The bits of the 5th byte [b₁-b₈]represent safety protocol device type name (or specified environment)which will be unique for each device type. An exemplary nomenclaturecorresponding to different bit values is shown below in Table 3 asfollows:

TABLE 3 Device type Device Type (specified Unique Name Environment)number tsf.car Car 9011 tsf.prison Prison 9014 tsf.church Church 9017tsf.reserved Reserved 9023 tsf.teencar Teen car 9012 tsf.court Courtroom 9015 tsf.theatre Theatre 9018 tsf.airbag Accident scene 9019tsf.school School room 9013 tsf.icu Hospital ICU 9016 tsf.parent Childbedroom 9020 tsf.child Child Monitor 9021

The 8 bits of the most significant byte (or the 6th byte) of the addresscode 300 can be configured to define modes transmission and scope of theidentifier. For instance, the least significant bit (LSB) of the 6thbyte may represent “unicast” transmission if the bit value correspondsto binary 1 and “multicast” transmission if the bit value corresponds tobinary 0 as shown in the bit value block 302. Similarly, second bit ofthe 6th byte may represent a “global unique identifier (OUI enforced)”if the bit value corresponds to binary 0 and “locally administered”identifier if the bit value corresponds to binary 1 as shown in the bitvalue block 304. Bits b₃ to b₈ represent cellular distraction preventionID (binary 0 or 1). The Bluetooth address codes as illustrated in table2 and Table 3 can be pre-stored in Bluetooth Address codes 222 inprogram data 208.

Look Up Table (LUT)

It may be noted that the standard cellular safety protocols can beimplemented by using appropriate hardware and software modules,application software, Operating System (OS), and data structures. Theexemplary mobile device 102 would have all such functional blocks thatwould enable the universal implementation of the safety protocols.Since, the proposed protocols are preferred to be implementeduniversally; the protocols are preferred to be adopted as a devicemanufacturing standard. In consequence, all mobile devices from alldifferent manufactures are preferred to conform to the standard.

On the other hand, the specified environment, such as, prison, schools,hospitals, transportation vehicle, etc. should have the protocolactivators 106 at strategic locations for an effective implementation ofthe safety protocols. In addition, the protocol activators 106 should bestandardized according to the proposed address codes to work in tandemwith the mobile device 102.

In an embodiment, the set of safety protocol behavior defined by thesafety protocols are represented by means of a look up table (LUT)stored in program data 208 in LUT 220. An exemplary LUT is shown intable 4 below.

TABLE 4 DEVICE ACTION TO BE NAME DEVICE TAKEN (PROTOCOL Line HexDESIGNATION BEHAVIOR) 1 01 VEHICLE 1 “AND” function of any 2 devices of2 02 VEHICLE 2 Line 1 and Line 3 inhibits texting 3 03 VEHICLE 3 behindthe wheel 4 04 VEHICLE 4 “AND” function of any 2 devices of 5 05 VEHICLE5 Line 4 to Line 9 inhibits 6 06 VEHICLE 6 mobile device 7 07 VEHICLE 78 08 VEHICLE 8 9 09 VEHICLE 9 10 0A CLASS ROOM 1 Inhibit mobile deviceduring class 11 0B CLASS ROOM 2 hours if any ID of Line 10 12 0C CLASSROOM 3 to Line 22 is detected 13 0D CLASS ROOM 4 14 0E CLASS ROOM 5 150F CLASS ROOM 6 16 10 CLASS ROOM 7 17 11 CLASS ROOM 8 18 12 CLASS ROOM 919 13 CLASS ROOM 10 20 14 PRISON 1 Disable mobile device if any ID from21 15 PRISON 2 Line 20 to Line 29 is detected 22 16 PRISON 3 23 17PRISON 4 24 18 PRISON 5 25 19 PRISON 6 26 1A PRISON 7 27 1B PRISON 8 281C PRISON 9 29 1D PRISON 10 30 1E COURT 1 Silence mobile device if anyID from 31 1F COURT 2 Line 30 to Line 39 is detected 32 20 COURT 3 33 21COURT 4 34 22 COURT 5 35 23 COURT 6 36 24 COURT 7 37 25 COURT 8 38 26COURT 9 39 27 COURT 10 40 28 HOSPITAL 1 Silence mobile device if any IDfrom 41 29 HOSPITAL 2 Line 40 to Line 49 is detected 42 2A HOSPITAL 3 432B HOSPITAL 4 44 2C HOSPITAL 5 45 2D HOSPITAL 6 46 2E HOSPITAL 7 47 2FHOSPITAL 8 48 30 HOSPITAL 9 49 31 HOSPITAL 10 50 32 CHURCH 1 Silencemobile device during church 51 33 CHURCH 2 hours if any ID from Line 5052 34 CHURCH 3 to Line 59 is detected 53 35 CHURCH 4 54 36 CHURCH 5 5537 CHURCH 6 56 38 CHURCH 7 57 39 CHURCH 8 58 3A CHURCH 9 59 3B CHURCH 1060 3C THEATRE 1 Silence mobile device during show 61 3D THEATRE 2 timesif any ID from Line 62 3E THEATRE 3 60 to Line 69 is detected 63 3FTHEATRE 4 64 40 THEATRE 5 65 41 THEATRE 6 66 42 THEATRE 7 67 43 THEATRE8 68 44 THEATRE 9 69 45 THEATRE 10 70 46 RESERVED 46 to FF HEX arereserved for future use

As shown in the LUT, the device name in HEX is transmitted by the one ormore sensors 106 as discovery information. The call authorization module108 can also instruct the query module 210 to request for device name ofthe one or more sensors 106 in the specified environment. Upon receiptof the device name, the safety protocol module 212 accesses the LUT 220(e.g. Table 4) and determines the device designation or the specifiedenvironment corresponding to the device name. For instance, a devicename “07” in HEX would correspond to a “vehicle 7”. The protocolbehavior or the action to be taken by the call authorization module 108correspondingly would be to completely inhibit the mobile device 102.Similarly, device name “28” in HEX would correspond to devicedesignation “Hospital 1” and the corresponding protocol behavior wouldbe to silence the mobile device 102. It may be noted that differentdevice designations correspond to different devices in the same ordifferent specified environment. For instance, device names “14” to “1D”in HEX correspond to different sensors deployed at various locations ina prison. Device name “46” to “FF” in HEX are reserved for future use.The other data 224 includes flag values, variables that are initializedduring the process of implementing the standard mobile devicedistraction prevention and safety protocols.

Self-Powered Bluetooth Sensor

FIG. 4 illustrates the components to be used to create a self-poweredBluetooth sensor 400 according to an implementation. One of the majorchallenges faced in the implementation of safety protocols and thesystem 100 is the need to supply power to a Bluetooth sensor(s) whichworks in tandem with the mobile device 102. In the existing systems, theBluetooth sensor is powered by direct wiring to a power source or simplereplacement batteries which can be time consuming and costly given theuniversality of the proposed safety protocol. In conventional systems,there exists no simple and cost effective way to power the one or moresensor(s) 106 without having to hard wire or replace batteries. Hence,there is a well felt need for developing a self-powered Bluetooth sensorthat does not require hard wiring or battery replacement.

To this end, the exemplary self-powered Bluetooth sensor assembly 400includes a coil assembly 402. The coil assembly 402 includes a magnet404 and copper wire winding 406. The magnet 404 is placed coaxially andthe copper wire winding 406 is wound in a tubular shape wax paper andbecomes impregnated in a plastic cylindrical tube. The self-poweredBluetooth sensor assembly 400 further includes a rectifier module 408electrically connected to the coil assembly 402. The rectifier module408 is installed laterally to harness the kinetic energy of allmovements via. the magnetic core. The rectifier module 408 includes anultra capacitor and a back-up battery. The rectifier module 408 connectsto the Bluetooth sensor 410 that is configured to transmit or receivesignals. Such a Bluetooth sensor is capable of powering itself for longperiods without requiring hard wire hook up or battery replacement.

When the Bluetooth sensor assembly 400 experiences movement (such asfrom the motion due to acceleration or deceleration inside a car or themovement caused due to opening or closing of a door or ceiling fanturning, etc) the magnet 404 slides inside the coil assembly 402creating a magnetic field. The expanding and collapsing magnetic fieldcreates an AC voltage which is fed to the rectifier module 408 to berectified and stored in the ultra capacitor. Excessive voltage in theultra capacitor is used to charge the backup battery. The output of therectifier module 408 is a DC voltage which is used to power theBluetooth sensor 410.

Safety Protocol Enforcement:

In an example embodiment, the specified environment can correspond to atransportation vehicle such as, a car. Studies and statistics have shownthat numerous accidents take place due to distraction caused by usage ofmobile devices while driving. The proposed safety protocols can beconfigured to prevent the use of a mobile device 102 when the callauthorization module 108 senses a driving mode. The manner in which suchvehicle safety system functions is disclosed in a co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/585,503 and is incorporated herein by reference.

For years, research studies have shown that seat belt save lives andprevent damage to life. In addition, many laws have been enacted torequire seat belt usage while driving a car. More recently, many studiesare coming forth detailing the terrible dangers presented when a driveruses text messaging and email functions on a cell phone during thecommute of driving. Many states are passing laws prohibiting suchdangerous cell phone usage when operating a vehicle. A major problemwith both seat belt laws and cell phone laws is the inherent difficultyof proper enforcement.

There exist no easy definitive means of detection or notification forsafety officials and other drivers to be warned when a driver isoperating a transportation vehicle or a car in an unsafe or unlawfulmanner either by not wearing their seatbelt or by using text messagingand email functions on a cell phone when operating the vehicle.

There is, therefore, a need for a simple, cost effective solution toeasily alert safety officials and passerby drivers of vehicles whosedriver operates a vehicle in an unsafe or unlawful manner.

To this end, FIG. 5 illustrates an apparatus for giving a vehicle ownerthe ability to force mobile device restrictions when allowing others tooperate their vehicles. A driver of the vehicle carries a mobile device502 (an embodiment of mobile device 102) that implements the safetyprotocols. The mobile device 502 includes the call authorization module108 and the safety protocols embedded as a part of firmware.

A typical vehicle would have one or more vehicular components thatindicate the state of the transportation vehicle. Vehicular componentscan include a parking brake, a transmission gear, an accelerator, brake,an odometer, a tachometer, a wheel, engine components, and steeringwheel or other such components that are capable of undergoing a state ora position change associated with the motion of the vehicle. As would beappreciated by a person skilled in the art, such vehicular componentswould have an associated change in state or position when the vehicleeither starts to move or comes to a complete halt. The change of stateor position in the vehicular components is sensed and utilized by theCAM 108 to control the behavior of the mobile device 502 inside of thevehicle. The vehicular components have associated one or more sensors106 that transmit discovery information, such as, state and/or positioninformation or a trigger signal.

Turning now to the FIG. 5, the system 500 prevents use of mobile device102 by drivers of vehicles thereby providing greater safety during thedriving operation of the vehicle. Accordingly, the system 500 includesthe mobile device 502 with CAM 108, and Bluetooth communicationtechnology. The system 500 further includes a driver seat sensor (DSS)504 with an RFID transponder tag embedded in the driver seat and an RFIDtag reader 506 on one of the sides of the driver's seat. The system 500further includes a circuited seat belt (CSB) assembly 508, atransmission gear shift detection assembly (TA) 510, and warning signalindicator (WSI) 512. The transmission gear shift detection assembly 510transmits the gearshift position or state via a gearshift transmitter514. The system 500 may include additional vehicular components such as,owner's compliance key (OCK), ignition, horn, light, radio, etc. thatare not shown but may be configured to indicate a state or position thatenables the system in determining unsafe and unlawful driving.

The CAM 108 sends and receives signals to and from the one or morevehicular components such as, DSS 504, the transmission gear shiftdetection assembly 510, the CSB assembly 508, and the WSI 512 toimplement the safety protocols inside the vehicle. For instance, the DSS504 with RFID transponder tag invisibly embedded in the driver's seatarea notifies the CAM 108 that the mobile device 502 is in driver's seatarea. The transmission gear shift detection assembly 510 includes aseries of magnetic switches strategically placed within the confinementof the transmission gear shifting apparatus designed to open or close amagnetic field depending on the gear in which the vehicle operates. Inthe event of the vehicle being taken out of parking position, thecircuit will close immediately sending a notification to the CAM 108.

The CSB assembly 508 includes a circuited seat belt buckle, a seat beltlocking tongue, an anti-cheat seat belt harness embedded with an RFIDtag and the stationary RFID tag reader 506. The anti-cheat CSB circuitbecomes complete (or safe) when the locking buckle and tongue engage inproper locked position and the anti-cheat RFID field is open. Theanti-cheat RFID tag embedded in the seat belt harness can be stretchedbeyond the stationary RFID tag reader 506 creating an open field.

The WSI 512 corresponds to a visible light, a visible antenna, or anotification device to be effectively seen by safety enforcementofficials and passerby vehicles.

In operation, when the vehicle driver enters the car, the mobile device102 with CAM 108 detects the DSS Driver's Seat Sensor 504. Once thedriver takes the vehicle transmission out of “park”, the transmissiongear shift detection assembly 510 sends a notification to the CAM 108.The CAM 108 then sends a signal seeking confirmation that the CSBassembly 508 is properly engaged. In case the CSB assembly 508 is notproperly engaged, the WSI 512 is notified which casts a distinct visiblesignal to alert safety officials and passerby vehicles of non-seat beltdriver operation.

The warning signal continues until either the vehicle is placed backinto “park” or the anti-cheat CSB 508 becomes fully engaged as describedearlier. In case the CSB assembly 508 is fully engaged in the prescribedmanner, the CAM 108 continues to poll to determine if the driver istexting or sending and receiving emails. If the driver is engaging intexting or sending and receiving emails, the CAM 108 notifies the WSI512 which casts yet another distinct visible signal to alert safetyofficials and passerby vehicles of unsafe or unlawful mobile deviceusage. The WSI 512 continues its alert status for a determined periodafter the unsafe or unlawful cell phone activity ceases.

The CAM 108 determines breach of safety rules by referring to the safetyprotocols embedded in the firmware of the mobile device 502. Forexample, the safety protocol module 212 includes logic that determinesthe safety code corresponding to a position of the CSB assembly 508 orthe transmission gear shift detection assembly 510. The safety protocolmodule 212 determines the corresponding warning code which the CAM 108sends to the WSI 512. An engine control unit (ECU) in the vehicle can beconfigured to monitor and communicate with the vehicular components andcommunicate with the CAM 108 to enforce safety protocols.

FIG. 6 illustrates the location of vehicular components, engine controlunit, and the mobile device 502 in a vehicle according to an embodiment.As shown, the WSI 512 can be at location 602 on the exterior of thevehicle so that safety officials and other passerby vehicles can easilysee the warning signals issued by the WSI 512. The WSI 512 can also bedeployed at multiple locations so that attention can be easily attractedto an unsafe and unlawful driving of the vehicle. The mobile device 502would be at location 604 near to the driver seat. The ECU can be at alocation 606 on the front side of the vehicular chassis. Thetransmission gear shift detection assembly 510 can be at a location 608near the driver's seat.

In an embodiment, the behavior of the mobile device 102 can becontrolled based on the position of emergency/parking brake of thetransportation vehicle. For example, a car safety apparatus system canbe installed in a transportation vehicle. The car safety apparatussystem can be installed in line with the emergency braking system. Whenthe vehicle's emergency brake is set, the mobile device in the driver'sseat area can be used without any inhibition. As soon as theemergency/parking brake is released, the electronic sensor (e.g.emergency brake sensor) installed will send a trigger signal to the CAM108 to completely or partially disable the driver's mobile device 102.

Vehicle Occupant Safety System

FIG. 7 illustrates a system 700 for ensuring safety of a child or avehicle occupant in an embodiment. Accordingly, the system 700 comprisesa mobile device 702 (an embodiment of mobile device 102) carried by auser 704. The mobile device 702 includes a first computing system forsignal processing. The user 704 can be a driver of a car or a parent ofa child travelling in a transportation vehicle. The system 700 furtherincludes a sensor 706 which may be worn by the child or attached to apressure activation sensor that is activated by the weight of the childas shown in the figure. In an exemplary embodiment, the sensor 706 canbe a Bluetooth sensor emitting discovery information “tsf.child” (partof the protocol, with reference to table 3). The system 700 alsoincludes a second computing system (ECU) 708 in communication with thesensor 706 and one or more vehicular components 710. As describedearlier, the vehicular components 710 may correspond to gear shifttransmission assembly, parking brake, etc. The vehicular components 710are configured to give an indication of whether the vehicle is out ofparking or is being driven. When the vehicle is in drive mode and achild is in a car, the phone receives the discovery information thatincludes “tsf.child” signal. The CAM 108 flags and activates the childmonitor option as shown in table 3. At the destination when the carengine is shutdown, the driver walks away from the car. If the CAM 108does not detect “tsf.car” at predetermined time intervals from the childsensor 706, it activates the mobile device 102 to warn the driver thatthe child is still in the car. When the child is removed from the car,the CAM 108 will time out and reset the child monitor option.

Exemplary Methods

The description of the following methods would be provided with specificreferences to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7and the corresponding description. FIG. 8 illustrates a method 800 foractivating a safety protocol behavior in a mobile device 102 accordingto an embodiment. The distraction prevention and safety protocolactionable behavior of the mobile device will take effect uponsatisfaction of a specific condition. In an embodiment, the specificcondition may correspond to entering a specified environment. Thespecified environment can correspond to a class room, a correctionalfacility, an airport, an airplane, a court room, a hospital, a church, atheatre, a fly zone, a danger zone, an auditorium, a bedroom, or anyother arena or environment where it is desirable to control the behaviorof the mobile device 102.

Additionally, satisfaction of a specific condition may correspond to anevent inside a transportation vehicle. Such event may include movementof one or more vehicular components that may indicate the state of thetransportation vehicle. Vehicular components may include, but notlimited to a parking brake, a transmission gear, an accelerator, brake,an odometer, a tachometer, a wheel, engine components, and steeringwheel or other such components that are capable of undergoing a state ora position change associated with the motion of the vehicle. As would beappreciated by a person skilled in the art, such vehicular componentswould have an associated change in state or position when the vehicleeither starts to move or comes to a complete halt.

The satisfaction of a specific condition may also correspond to thedialing of a specified sequence of numbers or pressing a specific speeddial. The specific sequence of numbers can be predetermined set ofnumbers that denote a specific case of criminal emergency. For instance,if a mobile phone receives a threatening call, text, or e-mail, animmediate action can be automatically taken. Immediate action maycorrespond to sending the contact details (number, e-mail etc. of thesender) to a data bank for potential processing of criminal action. Suchan automatic action can be configured as a safety protocol behavior inthe mobile phone 102.

Turning to FIG. 8, at block 805, at least one or more protocolactivators are discovered. The one or more protocol activators 106 areconfigured to transmit discovery information associated with thespecific condition. In an embodiment, the protocol activators cancorrespond to pre-standardized Bluetooth sensors characterized by apredetermined device name and or class associated with the specifiedenvironment.

In an embodiment, the discovering includes searching for the one or moreprotocol activators in the specified environment. The CAM 108 instructsthe communication module 214 to search for the protocol activators orsensors 106 in the specified environment. In such an implementation, thecommunication module 214 transmits one or more requests to obtain thediscovery information from the one or more protocol activators 106. Thediscovery information corresponds to device name and or class of theprotocol activators 106, the class being informative of the specifiedenvironment. The discovery process also includes accessing a look uptable (LUT), such as, Table 4, and determining an entry corresponding tothe discovery information associated with the specified environment.

At block 810, distraction prevention safety protocol behavior isactivated in the mobile device based at least in part on the discoveryinformation. The CAM 108 upon receipt of the discovery informationinstructs the safety protocol module 212 to determine from the LUT thesafety protocol behavior corresponding to the discovery information. Ina successive progression, the CAM 108 activates the determined safetyprotocol behavior in the mobile device 102. In an implementation,activating the safety protocol behavior includes disabling partially orwholly one or more functionalities associated with the mobile device102. The safety protocol behavior corresponds to one or more of: apartial or complete disabling of the mobile device, disabling textsending functionality, disabling mail sending functionality, disablingcalling functionality, enabling a safety protocol enforcement mode, andchild safety mode respectively in the mobile device.

In certain cases, it may be desirable to differentiate different workinggroups and implementing different set of protocol behavior for differentworking groups. The discovery information may include such information,or the CAM 108 can instruct the RFID reader 230 to gather additionalinformation associated with a specified working group in the specifiedenvironment. Thereafter, the safety protocol module 212 determines theprotocol behavior corresponding to the specified working group, devicename, and class respectively.

In yet another embodiment, the activating includes issuing a warningsignal when the discovery information corresponds to an unlawful orunsafe operation in the specified environment. For instance, in the caseof a transportation vehicle, the one or more sensors or protocolactivators can correspond to various vehicular components that providestate or position information indicating an unlawful or unsafe mode ofdriving. The driver may ignore the seat belt or may be sending textmessages or mails while driving. In such a scenario, the CAM 108 upondetection of unsafe or unlawful mode, issues a warning signal to warningsignal indicator (WSI) 512. The WSI 512 then sends out warning signalsto be seen by safety enforcement officials and passerby vehicles.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method 900 of controlling functionality of a mobiledevice within a specified environment. Accordingly, at block 905, atrigger signal is broadcasted within the specified environment. The onemore sensors 106 may be activated to send trigger signals by anactuating mechanism that detects the onset of specific conditions. In animplementation, such actuating mechanism may be a tilt switch in case ofa transportation vehicle.

At block 910, a class associated with the trigger signal and thespecified environment is determined. The CAM 108 determines the classassociated with the specified environment and a working group from thetrigger signal.

At block 915, a set of protocol instructional behaviors are implementedin the mobile device based at least in part on the determined classand/or the specified environment. The CAM implements the set of protocolinstructional behavior corresponding to the trigger signal, thedetermined class, and working group. In an embodiment, the implementingincludes partly or completely disabling the functionality associatedwith the mobile device 102.

The protocol instructional behaviors permits emergency calls to one ormore pre-determined or programmable numbers. For example, in any case ofspecified environment, the safety protocols allow calls to be made tospecial numbers during emergency, such as, “911” in United States, “112”in India, etc. Such special numbers can be preprogrammed and included asexceptions to any protocol instructional behavior.

In another example, the safety protocols can allow calls to a specialnumber (parent's number) if the mobile device is carried by a child. Theprogramming of such special numbers may be a feature that is provided bythe mobile phone manufacturer or the service provider. The safetyprotocols can be so configured to accommodate such features.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method 1000 for controlling behavior of a mobiledevice inside a transportation vehicle in an embodiment. At block 1005,a sensor configured to broadcast a trigger signal within apre-determined limited range inside the vehicle is activated. In anembodiment, the activation is based at least on a state or a position ofone or more vehicular components and/or a tilt switch mechanismconfigured to determine vehicular movement. The one or more vehicularcomponents include parking brake, transmission gear assembly,accelerator, brake, odometer, tachometer, wheel, seat belt assembly,engine components, and steering wheel.

At block 1010, a protocol behavior based at least in part on the triggersignal is implemented in the mobile device 102. In an embodiment, theCAM 108 implements the protocol behavior in the mobile device 102 insidea predetermined limited range of the sensor 106 only. The protocolbehavior implementation includes disabling one or more functionalitiesassociated with the mobile device. Such functionalities include calling,answering a call, emailing, browsing, reading, text messaging, or anyother functionalities associated with the mobile device 102.

It will be appreciated that the teachings of the present invention canbe implemented as a combination of hardware and software. The softwareis preferably implemented as an application program comprising a set ofprogram instructions tangibly embodied in a computer readable medium.The application program is capable of being read and executed byhardware such as a computer or processor of suitable architecture.Similarly, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that anyexamples, functional block diagrams and the like represent variousexemplary functions, which may be substantially embodied in a computerreadable medium executable by a computer or processor, whether or notsuch computer or processor is explicitly shown. The processor can be aDigital Signal Processor (DSP) or any other processor usedconventionally capable of executing the application program or datastored on the computer-readable medium.

The example computer-readable medium can be, but is not limited to,(Random Access Memory) RAM, (Read Only Memory) ROM, (Compact Disk) CD orany magnetic or optical storage disk capable of carrying applicationprogram executable by a machine of suitable architecture. It is to beappreciated that computer readable media also includes any form of wiredtransmission. Further, in another implementation, the method inaccordance with the present invention can be incorporated on a hardwaremedium using ASIC or FPGA technologies.

It is also to be appreciated that the subject matter of the claims arenot limited to the various examples and or language used to recite theprinciple of the invention, and variants can be contemplated forimplementing the claims without deviating from the scope. Rather, theembodiments of the invention encompass both structural and functionalequivalents thereof.

While certain present preferred embodiments of the invention and certainpresent preferred methods of practicing the same have been illustratedand described herein, it is to be distinctly understood that theinvention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodiedand practiced within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A method of activating distraction prevention safetyprotocol behavior in a mobile device within a specified environmentcomprising: broadcasting, by a protocol activator, a trigger signal in aspecified environment; including, by the protocol activator, a discoveryinformation in the broadcast trigger signal, wherein the discoveryinformation associated with the trigger signal corresponds to a modifieduniversally unique identification (UUID) code of the protocol activator,and wherein at least a portion of the modified UUID code identifies atleast one of: a specified environment in which the protocol activatoroperates, and a specified working group information in the specifiedenvironment in which the protocol activator operates; and responding, bythe protocol activator, to a query for information; wherein thediscovery information broadcast from the protocol activator in thetrigger signal causes activation of the distraction prevention safetyprotocol behavior in the mobile device within the specified environment,the distraction prevention safety protocol behavior being based on astate law or enacted rule created by a state or protocol enforcementagency.
 2. A protocol activator for activating a distraction preventionsafety protocol behavior in a mobile device within a specifiedenvironment, comprising: a memory configured to store softwareinstructions; and a processor configured to access the softwareinstructions from the memory; the processor configured to access thesoftware instructions from the memory to: broadcast a trigger signalwithin the specified environment, the trigger signal comprisingdiscovery information associated with the trigger signal correspondingto a modified universally unique identification (UUID) code, and whereinat least a portion of the modified UUID code identifies at least one of:a specified environment in which the protocol activator operates, and aspecified working group information in the specified environment inwhich the protocol activator operates; and respond to a query forinformation; wherein the discovery information broadcast in the triggersignal causes activation of the distraction prevention safety protocolbehavior in the mobile device within the specified environment, thedistraction prevention safety protocol behavior being based on a statelaw or enacted rule created by a state or protocol enforcement agency.